Margaret Kelly | French dancer and choreographer | Britannica.com French dancer and choreographer Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content. Margaret Kelly Paris , France Margaret Kelly, (born June 24, 1910, Dublin , Ire.—died Sept. 11, 2004, Paris , France ), Irish-born French dancer and choreographer who was a professional chorus-line dancer by the time she was 14 and in 1932 formed what became the Bluebell Girls cabaret dance troupe. For more than half a century, she led the troupe, which not only entertained Parisians but also toured internationally, dazzling its audiences with energetic high-kicking routines. By the time she retired in 1986, Kelly had trained some 14,000 dancers. She was made OBE in 1996. EXPLORE these related biographies: Maurice Béjart (French dancer) French-born dancer, choreographer, and opera director known for combining classic ballet and modern dance with jazz, acrobatics, and musique concrète (electronic music based on natural sounds).

After studies in Paris, Béjart toured with the Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit (1947–49), the International Ballet (1949–50), and the Royal Swedish Ballet... Serge Lifar (Russian-French dancer and choreographer) Russian-born French dancer, choreographer, and ballet master (1929–45, 1947–58) of the Paris Opéra Ballet who enriched its repertoire, reestablished its reputation as a leading ballet company, and enhanced the position of male dancers in a company long dominated by ballerinas. Lifar was introduced to dance in 1920 by Bronislava Nijinska, under whom... Jean Coralli (French dancer) French dancer and choreographer who was ballet master of the Paris Opéra and who, with Jules Perrot, created the Romantic ballet Giselle. Coralli received his early training in Paris from Pierre Gardel or Jean-François Coulon and made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1802. In 1806–07 he produced five ballets at the Court Opera in Vienna, and in 1808...

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Close Date Published: December 31, 2004 URL: Access Date: January 18, 2017 Share Dancers in Touch :: Bluebell Girls, Tiller Girls, Rockettes, Dorris Girls, Palace People, The Young Generation, Dougie Squires Dancers, Margaret Kelly Dancers, Jackson Girls, Hot Jocks, 2nd Generation The Bluebell Girls Margaret Kelly was born in Dublin on the 24th June 1910 to Margaret O’Brian and James Kelly but it was spinster, Mary Murphy, who raised her. Earning the name Bluebell from her clear blue eyes, Miss Bluebell originally took dancing lessons to help strengthen her slender legs. Mary Murphy both encouraged and supported Miss Bluebell’s love of dancing which was to turn into a most successful career. Having left Dublin for Liverpool Miss Bluebell’s stage debut at the age of 12 was in Pantomime. At 14 a tour of Scotland with the Hot Jocks was the next step performing in numerous music halls. From Scotland Miss Bluebell joined a troupe run by Alfred Jackson and travelled to Europe as a Jackson Girl.

After a few months at the Scala, in Germany, Miss Bluebell went on tour to Copenhagen, Spain, Barcelona, Budapest and Hungary. In 1930 after a short spell in London the opportunity came for her to go to Paris as a holiday replacement at the Folies Bergere. Her move from dancer to a more administrative role came about when she was asked to form a troupe to perform at the old cinema, the Paramount. Before long Miss Bluebell was back at the Folies with her second troupe and a third troupe touring Italy. It was at the Folies in 1932 that the Bluebell Girls were ‘born’ and where she met Rumanian pianist Marcel Leibovici. They married on March 1st, 1939 and went on to have 4 children, Patrick, Francis, Florence and Jean Paul. (Their youngest son, Jean Paul, died in 1996.) Unfortunately the Second World War now intervened and it was not until these stressful years were over that Miss Bluebell joined forces with Pierre Louis-Guerin and the Clerico Brothers at 78 Champs Elysees - The (old) Lido.

The venue had been totally refurbished from the old swimming baths and the show was named Confetti. It was at the end of this show that Douglas Scott, a young dancer, stayed on and became the Lido’s stage manager leaving only in 1984 to return to America. With Paris a huge success, Las Vegas beckoned and in 1958 the Bluebell Girls appeared at the newly built Stardust Hotel. In conjunction again with Donn Arden, the production of Hallelujah Hollywood featuring the Margaret Kelly Dancers opened at the MGM Grand Hotel where it ran for 6 years. Despite humble beginnings, the global success of the Bluebell Girls shows what determination and a will to succeed can accomplish. ‘Retiring’ at 79, Miss Bluebell continued to take an active interest in the shows until her health deteriorated. Miss Bluebell passed away on September 11th, 2004 at the age of 94. I lived the high life as a Parisian Bluebell Girl...I even danced for Sinatra and Elvis (From Echo) I lived the high life as a Parisian Bluebell Girl...I even danced for Sinatra and Elvis Show caption 2 comments Bluebell Girl!

The two words have become shorthand for the eternal glamour of night-time Paris. All the sexy chic in the world is packed into those shimmering lines of long-legged dancers, with their glittering costumes and what appear to be complete carnival floats that they carry on their heads. They are the sultry, glitzy dance cohort who with a few strokes of girl power turned the Paris Lido into one of the world’s top nightspots. Carole Saunders-Magrath, from Thorpe Bay, can claim to be a Bluebell Girl’s Bluebell Girl, since she taught the routines to other would-be Bluebells, as well as being a performer in her own right. She danced the Paris nights away between 1957 and 1960, when the troupe was at the height of its fame. The world flocked to her shows at the Lido, 78, Champs Elysee, Paris. The audience included travellers from around the world, as well as a regular stream of immortals who visited backstage. Carole met Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Maurice Chevalier, Sophia Loren, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

“The one thing we never did was ask for autographs,” says Carole. “The reason was simple. We were Bluebell Girls. We were stars, too. One star does not ask another star for their autograph.” Carole said goodbye to the Lido after three years, but not to the world of Bluebell, which despite being an icon of France was largelymade up of British girls. Back home in England, at the request of the Bluebell management, Carole trained waves of other girls to follow in Now in her eighth decade, she still teaches dancing, as well as regaling audiences at WI and other groups with reminiscences about the Bluebells. Her memories sound more golden than bluebell-coloured. The adventure began when Carole, then living in Romford, was 17. She had trained intensively as a dancer after contracting rheumatic fever, which confined her to a wheelchair as a child. Long before Bluebell came along, dancing proved to be her white knight. She trained at the late lamented Bush Davies dance school in Romford. By the age of 17, her professional career as a dancer was well under way, and she had appeared in a couple of pantos.

Nothing, though, could prepare her for the phone call she received one evening. Theman on the other end of the line did not introduce himself, but went straight into a check-up routine about Carol’s vital statistics. Was it true that she was 35-22-34, and 5ft 9in? Once this was confirmed, she was invited to Soho for a meeting. “I was dubious, but I did keep the appointment, with my father as chaperone,” Carole says. The man on the phone turned out to be Peter Baker, an agent for Bluebell. Also, there was “a man in a wonderful suit and handmade”. He was Leibo, the husband of the legendary Bluebell Girls’ founder Margaret Kelly. After seeing Carole dance, their verdict was instantaneous. “Right, I want you on the train to Paris.” Carole was a Bluebell. The tip-off had come from Carole’s aunt. Without informing the rest of the family, she had written to the Bluebell management, recommending her tall niece as perfect Bluebell material. After watching Carole dance, they agreed with her. In Paris, Carole got the chance to watch one show.

Her first impression reflected that of many first-time audience members. “I was – though it’s a word I don’t much like to use – gobsmacked,” says Carole. “I’d never dreamed such a spectacle existed.” The next night, she became part of that spectacular floor show. She also got the chance to meet the legendary Margaret Kelly Leibovici, known to all the girls as “Bluebell”, in person. Bluebell had founded the Bluebell Girls in 1932, after working as a dancer in Paris herself. The name Bluebell came from Margaret’s striking blue eyes, which had been compared to bluebells when she was a little girl. Her stroke of genius was to recruit tall dancers. “Before Bluebell, nobody wanted tall, long-legged dancers, but to be in the Bluebells you had to be tall,” says Carole. That was just the starting point. Tall girls were turned into towering ones with the addition of those famous head-dresses on top, and 5ins heels at the other end. To provide a further element of uniformity, Bluebell Girls needed oval faces. “A squarefaced dancer wouldn’t get a job,” says Carole.

Bluebell created a whole new world of gaiety, but the woman herself came across largely as an iron disciplinarian. Carole found Bluebell to be “distant”, “businesslike”, and “lacking in warmth”. She ran the troupe with a strong controlling hand and she laid down stringent rules. Being a Bluebell was a 24-hour affair as far as Madame was concerned. “She had spies everywhere,” says Carole. “She knewwhere youwere, what youwere doing, who you were going out with.” The list of rules included a ban on dating waiters, and the insistence that jeans worn during leisure hours should have no holes in them. “Woe betide you if you broke any of the rules and found yourself hauled up in front of Bluebell,” says Carole. The regime might have been authoritarian, but it kept the Bluebell Girl image untarnished and free from scandal, and often saved the girls from disaster. “Now, asamother, I can understand why she did it that way,” says Carole. The girls still managed to live an enviable life.

“After the show, someone would say there was a party somewhere, and you’d pile into a taxi and head off for it,” says Carole. A Bluebell had an automatic ticket to the high life. In her first week, Carole got chatting with another dancer. “It turned out she was dating Marlon Brando,” says Carole. At a party, Carole was pursued by one of Frank Sinatra’s aides. She rebuffed him in no uncertain terms. “I didn’t sleep with people, I was British,” Carole says. Sinatra himself was highly amused. “As I walked past him, he grinned and hummed a bit of a song – the One Who Got Away.” Behind the sumptuous glamour lay very unglamorous bucketloads of sweat and graft. The daily routine became positively gruelling when the troupe was rehearsing for a new annual show. Carole recalls: “You’d finish the second show of the night at 1.15am, and at 3.15am we’d start rehearsing. That went on through the day, and then it would be time for the 11.15pm show. Then the whole process would start over again. Sleep?

You curled up on a couple of chairs and snatched a few minutes, if you were lucky.” The training and the lifestyle evolved a special breed of womanhood. Essence of Bluebell clung to the girls at all times. “A group of us would be walking along the Champs Elysee during the day, just in everyday clothes, and people’s heads would turn. ‘Look, Bluebell girls,’ you’d hear them say. We were always recognisable, even out of costume,” says Carole, basking in the recollection. How were the Bluebells so readily identifiable? The girls’ height had something to do with the recognition factor, but so did a certain poise and confidence that stamped these girls apart from any other women on the face of the planet. “Bluebells gave the impression they breathed champagne,” as one observer remarked. But then, one day, out of the blue, this particular Bluebell decided that she had had enough. “I remember suddenly thinking, this isn’t real life. I’m here asamale fantasy. It’s time to go.” She already had an invitation to return to her old dance school, Bush Davies, as an instructor.

So the world of Bluebell ceased to be a job, and entered the realm of rich memory – and family history. Many years later, Carole took her daughter to see the Bluebells at the Lido. “She was amazed. My gosh, mum, to think youwere one of those!’ she said.” Looking back on her extraordinary three years as a Bluebell Girl, Carole can only conclude: “I was just so lucky.” Yet in many respects she made her own luck. A hard-working performer, utterly devoted to dance in all its forms, she valued one quality above all else. It kept her grounded through those unbelievable Parisienne days, and it told her when it was time to walk away from it all. That quality was professionalism. “We didn’t get over-excited about the life we were leading,” Carole says. “It was the simply the worldwe belonged to. Being a Bluebell demanded 100 per cent and we gave it 100 per cent.

Bluebell Girls or Frank Sinatra, at the end of the daywewere all just professionals in the same industry.” Blaze Starr – burlesque dancer, pinup queen, alleged JFK mistress – dead at 83 - Houston Chronicle Blaze Starr – burlesque dancer, pinup queen, alleged JFK mistress – dead at 83 Jonathan Mattise and Cain Burdeau, Associated Press Updated 5:06 pm, Tuesday, June 16, 2015 Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images Image 1of/51 Close Image 1 of 51 circa 1955: Studio portrait of Blaze Starr, reclining on pillows on the floor, wearing a red-trimmed white dress and white elbow-length gloves. circa 1955: Studio portrait of Blaze Starr, reclining on pillows on the floor, wearing a red-trimmed white dress and white elbow-length gloves.

Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images Image 2 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming. less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ... more Photo: Apic, Getty Images Image 3 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming.

Photo: Apic, Getty Images Image 4 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming. less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ... more Photo: Art Zelin, Getty Images Image 5 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming.

less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ... more Photo: Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images Image 6 of 51 Circa 1955: American burlesque performer Blaze Starr, wearing a bikini and high heels. The bikini seems interesting enough, but somehow it became de rigeur to add high heels and some sort of ball. Circa 1955: American burlesque performer Blaze Starr, wearing a bikini and high heels. The bikini seems interesting enough, but somehow it became de rigeur to add high heels and some sort of ball. Photo: Getty Images Image 7 of 51 FILE - In this Sept. 2, 1959, file photo, Blaze Starr, a burlesque star and stripper, arrives in New Orleans by plane from Miami to visit Louisiana Gov. Earl K. Long. Starr, whose affair with the governor gained notoriety for both parties, has died. She was 83.

Starr's nephew, Earsten Spaulding, said she died Monday, June 15, 2015, at her Wilsondale, W. Va., home. He said she had experienced heart issues the past few years. less FILE - In this Sept. 2, 1959, file photo, Blaze Starr, a burlesque star and stripper, arrives in New Orleans by plane from Miami to visit Louisiana Gov. Earl K. Long. Starr, whose affair with the governor ... more Photo: File, AP Image 8 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming. less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ...

more Photo: Michael Abramson, Getty Images Image 9 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming. less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ... more Photo: Michael Abramson, Getty Images Image 10 of 51 Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten Spaulding. She was born Fannie Belle Fleming.

less Blaze Starr, a "knockout" burlesque icon and stripper died Monday, June 2015 at age 83 at her Wilsondale, West Virginia, home after experiencing heart issues during the past few years, said her nephew Earsten ... more Photo: Michael Abramson, Getty Images Image 11 of 51 British-born American actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - 2011) in a showgirl outfit, circa 1955. British-born American actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - 2011) in a showgirl outfit, circa 1955. Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 13 of 51 American actress Jayne Mansfield (1933 - 1967) wearing a showgirl outfit in a promotional portrait for 'The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw', directed by Raoul Walsh, 1958. American actress Jayne Mansfield (1933 - 1967) wearing a showgirl outfit in a promotional portrait for 'The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw', directed by Raoul Walsh, 1958.

Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 14 of 51 The Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall pictured at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York, USA, circa 1940. The Rockettes are a well-known precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. less The Rockettes of Radio City Music Hall pictured at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York, USA, circa 1940. The Rockettes are a well-known precision dance company performing out of the Radio City ... more Photo: Pictorial Parade, Getty Images Image 15 of 51 GENE KELLY'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GIRLS -- Aired 01/14/1970 -- Pictured: Gene Kelly (center) with the Folies Bergere Showgirls. GENE KELLY'S WONDERFUL WORLD OF GIRLS -- Aired 01/14/1970 -- Pictured: Gene Kelly (center) with the Folies Bergere Showgirls.

Photo: NBC, NBC Via Getty Images Image 16 of 51 Full length portrait of Joan Sims (1930-2001), British actress, wearing a showgirl costume with a feather headdress in a studio portrait, against a white background, circa 1965. Full length portrait of Joan Sims (1930-2001), British actress, wearing a showgirl costume with a feather headdress in a studio portrait, against a white background, circa 1965. Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 17 of 51 Full length portrait of Joan Sims (1930-2001), British actress, wearing a showgirl costume with a feather headdress in a studio portrait, against a white background, circa 1965. Full length portrait of Joan Sims (1930-2001), British actress, wearing a showgirl costume with a feather headdress in a studio portrait, against a white background, circa 1965.

Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 18 of 51 Marilyn Monroe lying on her side on an over stuffed sofa with large feathers covering her in a scene from the film 'The Prince And The Showgirl', 1957. Marilyn Monroe lying on her side on an over stuffed sofa with large feathers covering her in a scene from the film 'The Prince And The Showgirl', 1957. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images Image 19 of 51 Marilyn Monroe dressed in a short showgirl outfit and leaning on a side table in a scene from the film 'River Of No Return', 1953. Marilyn Monroe dressed in a short showgirl outfit and leaning on a side table in a scene from the film 'River Of No Return', 1953. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images Image 20 of 51 American actress Sheree North (1932 - 2005) posing, standing on one leg in a showgirl outfit and high heels, circa 1955.

American actress Sheree North (1932 - 2005) posing, standing on one leg in a showgirl outfit and high heels, circa 1955. Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 21 of 51 English model and showgirl Christine Keeler, in a stage outfit, circa 1962. Keeler's affair with British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, caused a major political scandal in 1963. English model and showgirl Christine Keeler, in a stage outfit, circa 1962. Keeler's affair with British Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, caused a major political scandal in 1963. Photo: Paul Popper/Popperfoto, Popperfoto/Getty Images Image 22 of 51 Folies Bergere showgirl, Lisa Medford, shows off her new peek-a-boo air-cooled bathing suit, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 16, 1966. In 1957 she became the first woman to go topless on stage in Las Vagas.

Folies Bergere showgirl, Lisa Medford, shows off her new peek-a-boo air-cooled bathing suit, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 16, 1966. In 1957 she became the first woman to go topless on stage in Las Vagas. Photo: Underwood Archives, Getty Images Image 23 of 51 circa 1930: A line of chorus girls in the cabaret at the Piccadilly Hotel, London. circa 1930: A line of chorus girls in the cabaret at the Piccadilly Hotel, London. Photo: General Photographic Agency, Getty Images Image 24 of 51 1st January 1956: A showgirl dancing at the Eve nightclub on Regent Street, London. Original Publication: Picture Post - British Industries Fair - pub. 1956 1st January 1956: A showgirl dancing at the Eve nightclub on Regent Street, London. Original Publication: Picture Post - British Industries Fair - pub.

1956 Photo: Thurston Hopkins, Getty Images Image 25 of 51 circa 1945: Studio portrait of a woman in a sequined costume with shoulder tassels and a feathered cap, holding her hand to her mouth while singing. circa 1945: Studio portrait of a woman in a sequined costume with shoulder tassels and a feathered cap, holding her hand to her mouth while singing. Photo: Lambert, Getty Images Image 26 of 51 circa 1943: EXCLUSIVE A full-length image of a showgirl stretching her leg back on another showgirl's shoulder as they warm-up backstage for a performance of the Hollywood Group Caravan, a group of celebrities who toured thirteen US cities to raise funds for the Army and Navy relief effort during World War II. The dancers are wearing American-flag inspired costumes covered in stars, stripes, and lace. Their tops hats are decorated with firecracker bouquets. less circa 1943: EXCLUSIVE A full-length image of a showgirl stretching her leg back on another showgirl's shoulder as they warm-up backstage for a performance of the Hollywood Group Caravan, a group of celebrities ...

more Photo: Gene Lester, Getty Images Image 27 of 51 circa 1945: Full-length portrait of a showgirl wearing a burlesque costume consisting of inflatable Middle Eastern men's faces smoking cigarettes. circa 1945: Full-length portrait of a showgirl wearing a burlesque costume consisting of inflatable Middle Eastern men's faces smoking cigarettes. Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images Image 28 of 51 1946: The Ziegfeld Girls in panther costume as they appear in the film 'Ziegfeld Follies', a spectacular revue depicted as a dream sequence in heaven, dreamt by Florenz Ziegfeld. The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli for MGM. less 1946: The Ziegfeld Girls in panther costume as they appear in the film 'Ziegfeld Follies', a spectacular revue depicted as a dream sequence in heaven, dreamt by Florenz Ziegfeld. The film was directed by ...

more Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images Image 29 of 51 circa 1932: A troupe of dancers limber up under the guidance of dance director Earl Lindsay, in preparation for a scene in the Paramount film 'Backstage Blues', directed by Mack & Moran. circa 1932: A troupe of dancers limber up under the guidance of dance director Earl Lindsay, in preparation for a scene in the Paramount film 'Backstage Blues', directed by Mack & Moran. Photo: Margaret Chute, Getty Images Image 30 of 51 28th September 1932: Ruth Fisher, Marguerite Earle and Josephine Roberts as the Albertina Rasch Girls, in the show 'Wild Violets', at the Drury Lane Theatre, London. 28th September 1932: Ruth Fisher, Marguerite Earle and Josephine Roberts as the Albertina Rasch Girls, in the show 'Wild Violets', at the Drury Lane Theatre, London.

Photo: Sasha, Getty Images Image 31 of 51 1924: Two of the dancers featured in the biblical scene from the new MGM film 'So This Is Marriage?'. Their bodies are painted silver to create a surreal image. 1924: Two of the dancers featured in the biblical scene from the new MGM film 'So This Is Marriage?'. Their bodies are painted silver to create a surreal image. Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images Image 32 of 51 27th June 1953: Showgirl Lee Vernon at the Pigalle nightclub in London. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6556 - Night Club Close-Up - pub. 1953 27th June 1953: Showgirl Lee Vernon at the Pigalle nightclub in London. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6556 - Night Club Close-Up - pub. 1953 Photo: Carl Sutton, Getty Images Image 33 of 51 16-yr-old Pamela Eddy, youngest of the England's Margaret Kelly Dancers, in the dressing room of Moulin Rouge nightclub.

16-yr-old Pamela Eddy, youngest of the England's Margaret Kelly Dancers, in the dressing room of Moulin Rouge nightclub. Photo: Loomis Dean, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Image 34 of 51 Four beautiful women wearing furry bikini. Four beautiful women wearing furry bikini. Photo: RALPH MORSE, Getty Images/Time & Life Pictures Creative Image 35 of 51 A line of fish-net clad girls dancing in the musical, Star and Garter. A line of fish-net clad girls dancing in the musical, Star and Garter. Photo: George Karger, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Image 36 of 51 Two show girls stand in the wings during a performance at the Royal Nevada Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1955. One leans against a portable slot machine. Two show girls stand in the wings during a performance at the Royal Nevada Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1955. One leans against a portable slot machine. Photo: Loomis Dean, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Image 37 of 51 A Bluebell Girl Backstage At The Stardust Hotel.

A Bluebell Girl Backstage At The Stardust Hotel. Photo: RALPH CRANE, Getty Images/Time & Life Pictures Creative Image 38 of 51 American showgirl Baby Scruggs as she appears in the revue 'From Paris To Piccadilly', at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 25th April 1952. American showgirl Baby Scruggs as she appears in the revue 'From Paris To Piccadilly', at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, 25th April 1952. Photo: George Konig, Getty Images Image 39 of 51 UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1960s: Woman Dancer In Satin Leotard Vest & Bow Tie With Hand On Hip Tipping Sequin Top Hat To Viewer Entertainment Broadway Show Performer (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile/Getty Images) less UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1960s: Woman Dancer In Satin Leotard Vest & Bow Tie With Hand On Hip Tipping Sequin Top Hat To Viewer Entertainment Broadway Show Performer (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/Retrofile/Getty ... more Photo: H.

Armstrong Roberts, Retrofile/Getty Images Image 40 of 51 Hands on her hips, a costumed showgirl leans against a wall backstage at the Latin Quarter nightclub, New York, New York, 1958. Hands on her hips, a costumed showgirl leans against a wall backstage at the Latin Quarter nightclub, New York, New York, 1958. Photo: Gordon Parks, Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image Image 41 of 51 English actress Sylvia Syms as Maisie King in 'Expresso Bongo', directed by Val Guest, 1960. English actress Sylvia Syms as Maisie King in 'Expresso Bongo', directed by Val Guest, 1960. Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images Image 42 of 51 Three young starlets from the Charles B. Cochran musical comedy 'Anything Goes', on stage at the Palace Theatre, London, 1935. Three young starlets from the Charles B. Cochran musical comedy 'Anything Goes', on stage at the Palace Theatre, London, 1935.

Photo: Sean Sexton, Getty Images Image 43 of 51 Circa 1950's, Miss Janis Paige, Warner Bros, film screen star, wearing a pink showgirl outfit Circa 1950's, Miss Janis Paige, Warner Bros, film screen star, wearing a pink showgirl outfit Photo: Popperfoto, Popperfoto/Getty Images A group of chorus girls in sparkly costumes, circa 1925. A group of chorus girls in sparkly costumes, circa 1925. Photo: FPG, Getty Images Image 45 of 51 Showgirl Molly Dexter (right) on stage at the Lido in Paris with the Bluebell Girls, 25th May 1957. Molly, who weighed just over 10 stone, was recently sent home to Sheffield to put on more weight. Showgirl Molly Dexter (right) on stage at the Lido in Paris with the Bluebell Girls, 25th May 1957. Molly, who weighed just over 10 stone, was recently sent home to Sheffield to put on more weight.

Photo: Express, Getty Images Image 46 of 51 Showgirl Molly Dexter (right) on stage at the Lido in Paris with the Bluebell Girls, 25th May 1957. Molly, who weighed just over 10 stone, was recently sent home to Sheffield to put on more weight. Showgirl Molly Dexter (right) on stage at the Lido in Paris with the Bluebell Girls, 25th May 1957. Molly, who weighed just over 10 stone, was recently sent home to Sheffield to put on more weight. Photo: Express, Getty Images Showgirls backstage at a nightclub, circa 1950. Showgirls backstage at a nightclub, circa 1950. Photo: Archive Photos, Getty Images Image 48 of 51 Burlesque dancer Gloria Knight in a two-piece stage outfit, circa 1950. Burlesque dancer Gloria Knight in a two-piece stage outfit, circa 1950. Photo: Archive Photos, Getty Images Image 49 of 51 Burlesque dancer Gloria Knight in a two-piece stage outfit, circa 1950.

Burlesque dancer Gloria Knight in a two-piece stage outfit, circa 1950. Photo: Archive Photos, Getty Images Image 50 of 51 Burlesque dancer Mary Mack reclining on a chaise longue, circa 1950. Burlesque dancer Mary Mack reclining on a chaise longue, circa 1950. Photo: Archive Photos, Getty Images Image 51 of 51 Margaret Kelly | Obituaries | The Stage Margaret Kelly Share Now I suspect that there won't be one reader in a hundred who would be able to identify exactly who Margaret Kelly was and what it was about her that should be celebrated in a tribute to her life in our profession's newspaper. Her employees - who were collectively legendary - were allowed to call her 'Mis' and nothing else, while her professional colleagues and close friends never called her other than 'Blue'. Born somewhat obscurely in Dublin on June 24, 1910, she was a sickly toddler who was orphaned and given by the Catholic Church to a Liverpudlian nurse.

She was taken by that adoptive mother to a doctor for medical attention and he, mesmerised by the young Margaret's piercing blue eyes, commented: "If I was her mother, I'd call her Bluebell." That casual nickname was to stick and it became her professional name for the rest of her life. At the age of six she enrolled in a dance school and, with that independent spirit which ruled her life, insisted on paying for the lessons by acting as a caddy at the local golf course. By the age of 14 she was dancing professionally with a Scottish troupe known as Hot Jacks, before moving on to Berlin to join the Jackson Girls. At the age of 19 she moved to Paris to become a featured dancer at the Folies Bergere. By 1932, at the age of 22, she founded the legendary dance troupe who bore her adopted name of Bluebell. She set standards that were unheard of and refused to even consider any girl who was not a classically trained dancer with exceptionally long legs.

She told me years later - in 1980 when we were working together - "The most important thing was to pick girls with long legs." And interestingly enough she found more suitable candidates for her troupe in Scotland, where she had herself started her career. The Bluebell Girls soon became a fixture at the Lido on the Champs Elysees, where they continue to perform to this day. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 she married Marcel Leibovici, the Romanian Jewish pianist at the Folies Bergere. A year later, when she was pregnant with their first child, the invading Nazis interned her for a time at a concentration camp in Besancon. Leibovici was arrested but escaped to hide in a Paris building where he remained, astonishingly, until the end of the war. It transpired that the concierge of the building had informed on many Jews who were in hiding but she remained silent about him, because of the food parcels with which Peggy Kelly was bribing her.

Soon after the war Bluebell, as she was now known, formed a partnership with the renowned director, producer and choreographer Donn Arden, who was to prove an equally demanding taskmaster. In 1958, that they moved from the Folies Bergere to the Lido, where they established the concept of the dinner show. The extravagance of their productions, with their spectacular scenery and waterfalls, coupled with the sensational sequinned costumes for the 'topless' showgirls, soon made them a legendary attraction around the world. I did not meet her until the late seventies when, in association with Kelly and the Parisian bandleader and impresario Bernard Hilda, I had the great privilege of creating a spectacular revue Hello Paris, which we opened at the King's, Edinburgh, in June 1980 and which toured the UK and western Europe for the rest of the year. At the age of 68, she was still able to dance the cancan. She did not retire until she was 79 and even then she was regularly at the Lido, where she continued to indulge her passion for champagne.

At the end of the war she had taken out French citizenship and was thrice honoured by the French government with the Legion of Honour, the Legion of Merit and was created a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. She was also awarded the OBE by the British Government. Margaret Kelly died on September 11, aged 94, and is survived by two sons and a daughter. The Bluebell legend carries on a living memorial to an astonishing lady. We are unlikely to see her like again. Charles Vance

Question: What did the English dancer Margaret Kelly found in 1932?
Answer: Bluebell Girls